Commonly when providing services, a professional (i.e., preparer) is required to gather information from a client (i.e., user). Specifically, the professional may be required to gather paperwork and information from the client for preparing documents at the request of the client. For example, a tax preparer may be required to obtain a variety of financial paperwork (e.g., 1099 forms, bank statements, receipts, etc.) from a client before the client's tax return can be processed.
Historically, a professional obtain information and paperwork for providing services directly from a client. However, with the advent of electronic communication, more professionals are interacting with clients electronically. Typically, a professional may request that a client provide information or documents via an electronic message. In this case, the professional may informally exchange a number of electronic messages with the client before obtaining the necessary information and/or documents for providing the services.
In other cases, a professional may provide the client with access to a document management system for sharing documents and/or information. A document management system may allow a client to provide information and/or upload files to a server system at the request of a professional. The professional may then obtain the information by accessing the server system. Similar to electronic message requests, the professional may be required to notify a client of the request a number of times before the information is provided by the client.